Switchboard

What Energy Policies Do Americans Want?

Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Energy prices are turning into one of the clearest pocketbook issues in swing states and blue states alike, and this episode of Switchboard asks what voters actually want done about them. After Senator Mary Landrieu opens the episode, former Congressman Kendrick Meek, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, former Mayor Mike Nutter, and former Congressman Tim Ryan connect rising utility bills in Florida and Pennsylvania to the inflation and mortgage pressure voters already feel, and argue for an all-of-the-above strategy that keeps natural gas working alongside renewables.

Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and Republican strategist Mike DuHaime then dig into the polling behind that argument. Support for an all-of-the-above approach runs broad, especially when natural gas is paired with renewables, and it holds among Democrats and independents. Roginsky and DuHaime explain why public opinion on energy is more practical than the loudest voices in the debate, and where political opponents can agree when the goal is keeping homes heated and bills under control.

In this episode:

Polling on pairing natural gas with renewables, and why it holds with Democrats and independents
Why voters are more practical about energy than the loudest voices in the debate
Where Democrats and Republicans can agree on keeping energy costs down
Why energy costs are becoming a defining issue in swing states and blue states
How permitting reform could speed transmission lines and gas delivery without weakening environmental protections
How rising utility bills stack on top of inflation and mortgage pressure

Voters are already ahead of the loudest voices in the energy debate. This panel thinks it's time the politicians caught up.

Switchboard is brought to you by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future. To learn more, visit naturalalliesforcleanenergy.org, or find us on Youtube @NaturalAllies.

All-of-the-above: The Strategy for Affordable Energy Today and Tomorrow

Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0400

America's energy policy has become increasingly politicized, with both parties championing only their energy courses of choice. This roundtable makes the case that the winning strategy is an all-of-the-above approach with renewables and natural gas working together, not either party’s talking points. Former Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) opens Switchboard alongside fellow Democratic Party officials, including former Mayor Mike Nutter (D-Philadelphia), former Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), former Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH), and former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA), to lay out what energy policy actually means for jobs and household bills.

Landrieu frames energy as a kitchen-table issue and a national security issue, then the group digs into what’s driving the strain: electrification, data centers, AI, and manufacturing spiking power demand faster than the grid and permitting process can keep up. McAuliffe points to his experiences as Governor when jobs were lost because of insufficient natural gas supplies and infrastructure.

The argument here isn't left or right. It's whether the lights stay on and the bill stays affordable, while simultaneously balancing the important need to drive down emissions.

Switchboard is brought to you by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future. To learn more, visit naturalalliesforcleanenergy.org, or find us on Youtube @NaturalAllies.

Introducing Switchboard by Natural Allies

Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:00:00 -0400

For years, some corners of the Democratic Party have demanded leaders embrace an aggressive zero-carbon-only future, and the result is a power grid that is now straining under new demand, continued reliance on the highest emitting fuels, and rising costs. Switchboard is where five Democratic leaders discuss how more practical “all of the above” energy positions are both good policy and good politics. Former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, former Mayor Michael Nutter, and former Congressmen Tim Ryan and Kendrick Meek share insights and laughs about the intersection of politics, energy and climate. Each episode pairs a roundtable with a one-on-one interview, bringing outside voices into the room to test the argument.